Working magic

Do we lapse as time goes on, or do we become accustomed?

Several of my witchy and/or New Agey friends who have identified as such for a long time have expressed some guilt that they’re ‘not really doing it any more’. I know the feeling.

But when I take a good look, I realise it’s more that my practices have become so routine and accustomed, so everyday, that I forget they are anything special. They are incorporated into my life, like brushing my teeth or feeding the cat.

Daily ritual

For instance, it has become natural and unremarkable to me to start my day, immediately after my morning shower, with a ritual to greet that which we call God (which I like to think of as Goddess) as well as my various guides and guardians.

This has altered over the years, from a very traditional Wiccan or Druidic casting of circle, through the Middle Pillar Exercise beloved of ceremonial magicians, and various tips and suggestions from my teachers and mentors, to a very personal sequence.

With intention, visualisation, words and physical action, I create around myself a sphere of light. I express gratitude to my patron deities* and ‘to all my guides, guardians, friends, well-wishers, lovers and beloveds in any and every realm.’ I also ‘acknowledge all the nature spirits who look after the earth, and all the angels who look after me.' I then recite the Druids' prayer aka Gorsedd prayer (I say it in English) and finish by intoning the 'Awen'.** 

On leaving home

(going out to shop or visit friends or whatever)

I put protection over my little cat, then over my home and its contents, and all living things in the front and back yards. Then, when I get in my car, I call the angels to bear witness that I’ll have ‘safe, easy, uneventful driving … taking me safely with ease and grace, and in perfect timing, everywhere I want and need to be.’ (My own wording, arrived at after trying a few options.)

Going about my days / meeting the unexpected

Being a Reiki practitioner, it’s also natural to me to put my hands on myself or my cat if there are any symptoms of being unwell (as well as seeking appropriate medical help when required). 

I can also clear a space of negative vibes with Reiki, or smudging, or an arrangement of crystals, or calling on a suitable supernatural being.

Often one doesn’t think twice, just starts doing when need arises. It feels no more extraordinary than washing the dishes or the clothes when they need it, or weeding and watering the garden.

Spells

I like to work in the energy of unconditional love as much as possible, and to observe the intention not to do harm, therefore I never do hexing and seldom do banishing spells.

When I do use a banishing spell, my intention is to remove harmful behaviours rather than the person who is committing them — but sometimes that happens too. If it rebounds on me I don’t mind, as I would prefer to have any harmful behaviour on my part removed.

(Rebounding is not necessarily bad. It can be an unexpected blessing, e.g. when I banished some very evil neighbours who were harming everyone in their vicinity, in this case meaning to get rid of the persons, not just their behaviour. They very quickly got moved out of that house — by the police, as it happened (which I had not specified in my working)— and immediately afterwards Andrew and I got moved out of our rental too, as our landlord wanted to occupy it himself. We were actually given the option of moving into the one the criminals had vacated, but we chose another place we were offered, which was much nicer than either that or the one we’d had, and lived there very happily for the next few years.) 

I seldom do spells for good outcomes. I don’t feel the need, as I’m a Reiki Master. I find that what I can do with Reiki is quick, easy and powerful (and often beautiful).

Reiki also works for charging new crystals. and cleansing old ones. It’s even quicker and easier than using running water or leaving them out in the light of the full moon.

If I want the answer to a question, I could do a Tarot or an I Ching reading for myself, and sometimes do if it’s a complex question, but mostly I use a pendulum to get a quick ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.

Shelter from the storm

One magical worker I was friendly with, now deceased, told me her method for protecting her home during violent storms. She put a dome of whitish-blue light over her property for the duration of the storm.

Not a physical dome, of course, but one made with visualisation, intention and willpower. Her house, on a high hill in the path of many storms coming in from the ocean, always survived undamaged even when some nearby didn’t.

I do my own home, plus those of my neighbours, and any friends I can think of who might be in danger. So far so good! (Coincidence? Ah well, nothing can be proved, of course. But when one builds up a long-lasting track record …)

Notes:

* Patron deity

A patron deity is a god or goddess who takes a special interest in a particular person, group, profession, or place, acting as a guardian, protector, and guide. While historically deities were associated with specific places or crafts (e.g. Thoth for scribes), in many modern contexts, particularly in Paganism, it refers to a personal, deep relationship where the deity has chosen the individual. This relationship is a significant commitment that often extends beyond ritual work into daily life.

** Awen

Awen is a Welsh and Cornish word meaning 'inspiration,' particularly poetic inspiration, but it has a broader meaning of 'flowing spirit' or 'creative force' in Celtic spirituality and Druidry. It represents a creative energy that can flow through all things, connecting the individual to a deep source of creativity, divine inspiration, and the energy of nature.

(Notes supplied by Google AI)